


You And Me And Pokémon

by Destielilly



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon, Fluff, M/M, Misunderstanding, this is dangerously close to rom com territory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-25
Updated: 2014-01-25
Packaged: 2018-01-10 00:50:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1152838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destielilly/pseuds/Destielilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean and Castiel meet in Ilex Forest and decide to travel together. But only to the next city. Because there's no reason for them to stay together once they reach their destination. No really, there isn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You And Me And Pokémon

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song 'You And Me And Pokémon'. Because I'm creative like that.  
> There's a serious lack of Pokémon AUs in this fandom and since I was in the mood for something fluffy and plotless I decided to do something against that. There might be more in the future.  
> Also someone (or something?) special is hinted at. Virtual cookies for anyone who notices.
> 
> English is not my first language so I had to look up a lot of the names for Pokémon/cities etc. I hope the internet didn't let me down but if I got something wrong feel free to tell me.

Shit. He’s seen this tree before, no doubt about it. Dean sits down with his back against the trunk and tries not to punch himself in the face. The trip from Azalea Town to Goldenrod City was supposed to take a week but he’s been in this goddamn forest for longer than that.

His Cubone stands next to him, fixing him with a disapproving glare that makes Dean feel worse than he already does. “Sorry buddy, next time I brag about my great sense of direction you’re allowed to hit me with that bone of yours, okay?” Cubone just makes a noise that sounds far too much like a resigned sigh for Dean’s liking and curls up next to his trainer, head in his lap.

It’s not that bad really. After Dean had the great idea to send his Pidgeotto and Crobat up in the air to check whether they were even going in the right direction he at least knows somewhat where he has to go (the exact opposite direction he was going but we’re not talking about that). And since he’s used to his trips taking longer than expected because he loves exploring the places he comes through instead of just taking the shortest trip to the next city he bought more than enough supplies.

The only thing that irks him is the fact that usually he doesn’t get lost like this. No reason to dwell on that though. They’ll just take a little break and then keep going.

 

***

Castiel is running. He can’t see the Crobat anymore, so he hopes he’s still going in the right direction. Crobat do not live in this forest which means there’s probably another trainer nearby. There are a few reasons why the Pokémon could be flying around. Either his trainer decided it needed to stretch its wings a bit or the other person is just as lost as Castiel and sent their Pokémon to show them the way. Or maybe they are in trouble and need help. Granted, it’s a small possibility because the Crobat would have looked for other people if there really was an emergency but Castiel wants to be sure. Not that he really is in a position to help.

He got lost in the forest and it’s only thanks to his Dragonair that he’s back on the right way. It does not matter now though, Castiel just keeps going and he almost trips and falls when he sees the footsteps. His Togepi chirps in his arms and he looks down. “Sorry about that. Let’s see who our mystery person is, huh?”

It doesn’t even take Castiel 15 minutes to catch up. When he does he is faced with a boy his age slumped against a tree and luckily it looks like he’s just asleep. A little bit more alarming is the Cubone that’s standing protectively in front of him. Castiel tries to appear as non-threatening as possible, telling the Pokémon that he doesn’t mean them any harm, and if he wasn’t holding Togepi he’d probably try to raise his arms. Before he can think about just leaving them be and head back the way he came from the other boy sits up.

 

***

The voices – no, just one voice – wakes Dean. He usually wouldn’t care because it doesn’t seem to be directed at him but he remembers that he’s out in the forest far away from any civilization and what the hell is another person doing here? The first thing he sees when he opens his eyes and starts to get up is his Cubone, followed by a boy holding a Togepi to his chest. And his first thought really shouldn’t be ‘oh, it’s the cute guy again’, especially not when now said guy is staring at him with wide blue eyes. “Uhm, hi?”

 

***

At first Castiel doesn’t know what to say beyond “Hello”. He doesn’t want to appear creepy for following the other boy and decides to just tell him why he’s here. “Uh, I saw a Crobat flying around and figured it had to belong to someone, I guess it’s yours? I thought maybe you had an accident and needed help or something but everything seems to be okay so maybe I should just-“

 

***

“Wait.” Dean just has to stop him. It’s probably a pretty stupid move and he already feels like a creeper for having thought about this guy so many times since he first saw him a little over a week ago. Either way he doesn’t want the other to leave, not yet. “At least you could give me your name.”

“Uh, Castiel.” Cute. Weird, but cute.

“Well then Castiel, my name’s Dean. You’re on the way to Goldenrod City too, aren’t you? I saw you back in Azalea Town on my way to the Gym so we’re probably heading in the same direction. And yeah, that was my Crobat, I, uhhh, I might have gotten a bit lost.”

Dean knows he’s blushing, not only because he just sounded really dumb to his own ears but also because he really doesn’t like admitting that he made a mistake. Castiel just smiles at him though.

“Yes, I’m also going to Goldenrod City. And don’t worry, the same thing happened to me, without my Dragonair I’d probably be stuck in this forest forever.”

Well, that makes Dean feel at least a little bit better. He has to think a few moments about how to ask his next question before he just thinks ‘fuck it’ and takes the direct approach. “Wanna come with me? I mean since you’re already here and we’re going in the same direction and some company is always nice…so uhm, what do you think?” God, when did he become so bad at social interaction? Damn this guy and his dumb blue eyes and bed head.

 

***

There’s really no reason for Castiel to decline and so he agrees, happy about the smile it puts on Dean’s face. Togepi chirps loudly, flailing his tiny arms and Dean tells his Cubone to be nice to their new travel companions. There’s a short moment where Castiel is almost scared by the glare Cubone directs at him but then the Pokémon nods and he relaxes. Meanwhile Dean has already picked up his backpack from the ground and turns to look at him expectantly. “Ready to go?”

They travel for almost two weeks, not in a hurry to reach their goal now that they know they’re on the right way, and spend most of their time talking. Castiel explains that he wants to visit his brother Gabriel who owns a casino in Goldenrod City but waves off any more questions Dean asks about his family with the words “My family is huge and weird, don’t even try to understand it”. So instead Dean tells him about his own brother, pride clear in his voice.

“Sam has always been incredibly smart, read all these scientific publications on Pokémon when he was just a kid. Prof. Oak was always his favorite and he practically devoured all of his works. As soon as he was old enough he left for Pallet Town, hoping to actually meet the guy. Sometime later he called us saying that the professor was super impressed by him and Sam would start studying at his research lab. I’m from Vermilion City so I took a little detour and visited him on my way to Johto, he’s really happy there. Oak is sure Sam’s gonna be one of the big names in the future.”

Dean smiles and it’s one of the most beautiful things Cas has ever seen. From then on he tries to find as many reasons as possible to keep him talking and smiling. Maybe agreeing to travel together might not have been a good idea.

 

***

Dean will never understand trainers whose goal isn’t beating the Elite Four. Sure, there are more than enough people who own Pokémon and travel around with them and it’s cool if they don’t want to fight but if you do fight regularly then why not try to be the best? Anyway, just because he doesn’t get it doesn’t mean he will dislike people for their choices.

When Castiel told him that he wouldn’t be fighting in the Gym in Goldenrod City Dean nearly dropped his bowl of soup. Which is why he’s now sitting on a log, listening to Castiel’s reasons for travelling around.

“I just didn’t feel like staying, y’know? I mean I liked working at the Day Care with my mother but I always wanted to see more of the world, so one day I packed my bags and left. I don’t mind the occasional battle but that’s not why I left home, I just want to see as many places as possible and meet lots of interesting people. For what it’s worth though, I really hope you can make it to the Elite Four and beat them.” Castiel smiles at him and Dean definitely doesn’t blush. He _doesn’t_.

 

***

It only takes about two days before they have a routine. They travel most of the day with the occasional breaks and shortly before the sun sets they look for a place to set up camp and let their Pokémon out of their Pokéballs for one or two hours. They light a campfire and eat dinner, watching their Pokémon play while they keep talking about their respective journeys and experiences.

Dean is incredibly fascinated by Castiel’s Dragonair, claiming he’s never seen a Dragon-Type Pokémon before. Castiel (or _Cas_ , nickname courtesy of Dean) answers all of his questions happily, tells him how his mother gave him the egg his Dratini hatched from and how it has been his partner since day one of his journey.

“You had it since it was an egg? That’s awesome Cas, I’m not sure I’d have the patience to wait and worry about an egg until it hatches. Any more interesting stories about how you got your other Pokémon?”

“Maybe? I got my Squirtle, Ninetails and Espeon the old fashioned way – caught them. Togepi I more or less adopted at the Pokémon Center in Violet City, they found it crying outside with no one around and no one came looking for it so I offered to take care of it. Shinx was a present…sort of. A random traveler gave it to me. I still don’t know why but it didn’t seem particularly attached to that person and happily followed me around so I adopted it too. That’s it I guess? You decide whether that’s interesting or not.”

Castiel is taken aback because Dean actually does look interested and he can’t hide his grin. “What about your Pokémon?”

At first Dean doesn’t seem to register that he’s been asked a question but he quickly snaps out of it, looking away from Castiel and is that a blush?

“Uhm, there’s not much to say. I caught Pidgeotto, Cyndaquil, Crobat, Mareep and Vaporeon. I found Cubone one day I was out in town when I was a kid. Behind a dumpster, was almost starved to death. Took me some time to coax it out of there but then I took it home and we’ve been inseparable ever since.”

Dean’s eyes drift to Cubone that’s curled up next to the fire watching them and Castiel has to turn away, wishing to have those green eyes look at him with the same amount of affection.

 

***

“Have you ever been anywhere else?”

At Castiel’s confused look Dean clarifies. “I mean another region. You’re also from Kanto, right? So have you ever been anywhere that’s not Kanto or Johto?”

“No. But I want to one day. You?” “Same.” It’s already evening and they’re both sitting next to the fire eating the last of Dean’s marshmallows.

Earlier that day they passed the Ilex Forest shrine and Cas nerdgasmed all over the place. Usually Dean would not have been overly interested in all this spiritual stuff, sure all those legendary Pokémon were pretty cool but he preferred those he could actually see with his own eyes, not some weird forest spirit. Castiel’s excitement seemed to be contagious though and so Dean found himself listening intently to all his explanations about legends and research on the history of Pokémon and humans.

Eventually Cas stopped, blushing and apparently embarrassed. “Uhm, sorry. I got a bit carried away. My family loves religion and all the different myths and legends that exist in the different regions. I’ve basically grown up with these things.” Dean just waved him off. “Don’t worry, it was actually really cool.” He probably would have listened for a few more hours given the chance.

Dean watches as Castiel lets one of the Marshmallows cool down so Togepi can eat it. He’s been catching himself looking at the other boy more and more often recently and it’s bothering him. Cas is hot, there’s no doubt about that but what he feels now seems a lot like an actual crush and that’s just something he really doesn’t need. Dean doesn’t even know if Cas is into guys and there’s no way he’ll risk their new friendship over this. Besides, they probably won’t see each other for a very long time (if ever) after they part in Goldenrod City so why risk heartbreak? When he finally turns away his eyes meet Cubone’s and yep, that’s definitely a knowing look. Dean just mutters “Shut up” and grabs another marshmallow from the bag.

 

***

Castiel gets dragged back to reality two days before they reach their destination. He’s been hiding his not-so-little crush on Dean and while he very much doubts that Dean would be interested in him there were those little instances where Dean would say something or look at him in a certain way that made Castiel rethink that. In the end he never acted on his feelings though, too scared about potentially scaring Dean away. When it happens it really shouldn’t surprise him but it still hurts.

Dean is cooking and sends Castiel to get the small soup bowls from his backpack. Right next to the bowls Castiel finds a small photo album and though everything in him is shouting that it’s personal and he shouldn’t look he opens it. And then wishes he hadn’t. Sure enough, there is a picture of Dean as a child with his parents and another boy with floppy brown hair – his brother Sam probably. Nothing bad.

But the next page shows Dean much closer to his current age, grinning at the camera while a pretty blonde girl kisses him on the cheek. He’s so stupid. Of course Dean would have a girlfriend at home. Just because he’s travelling alone doesn’t mean there’s no one waiting for him.

“You okay over there?”

Dean’s voice brings Castiel back to the present where he’s still kneeling in front of Dean’s backpack with the soup bowls forgotten next to it. After carefully putting the album away he picks up the bowls and turns around with a forced smile on his face. “I’m fine.” It won’t take more than two more days to reach the city and then this will be over. Castiel could do that.

 

***

Shit shit shit. He fucked up. Castiel has been reserved and quiet these last two days, never smiling, barely talking and Dean is worried. Even Cas’ Pokemon tried to cheer him up, get him to play with them (and under normal circumstances Dean would have laughed about Cas levitating a few feet above the ground thanks to his Espeon) but Castiel just patted their heads and told them he wasn’t in the mood.

Dean’s been trying to get the reasons for his behavior out of Castiel but it was like talking to a brick wall. In the end, after going through everything that has happened Dean is left with one conclusion: Cas somehow got wind of his crush on him and now he doesn’t even want to be friends anymore. And it seems like Dean will have to deal with that.

They’re about to reach the city which means their journey together is coming to an end and he’s still thinking about what to say when Castiel suddenly stops walking and looks up at him. “Well, I guess that’s it. I want to go visit the Day Care before I go into the city and you probably want to get to the Pokémon Center and Gym as fast as possible so it would be best if we split up here.”

His voice is flat and free of any emotion and Togepi is looking up at both of them sadly. Dean swallows past the lump in his throat and attempts to smile, probably failing miserably. “Uh, yeah. Sounds logical. Well then, it was nice travelling with you.”

“Goodbye.” Castiel doesn’t smile, doesn’t wave, doesn’t wait for Dean to say anything else, just turns around and leaves him standing in the middle of the road.

 

***

He ends up not going to the Day Care after all. Castiel heads back towards the city and starts looking for Gabriel’s casino. He finds it after over an hour, only to be told that his brother is still in Saffron City for business reasons and won’t be back until the next day. And isn’t that just his luck. Instead of whining about it he decides to go to the Pokémon Center before looking for a place to stay tonight, it’s been a long journey and he wants his Pokémon to get checked over.

While he’s waiting in the lobby his gaze drifts to the videophones on the opposite wall and figuring he has some time to kill he walks over and calls the Pokémon Center on Cinnabar Island, hoping Anna still works there.

His sister has always wanted to become a nurse but didn’t want to work in a Pokémon Center for the rest of her life. So she started travelling, working in different places, helping out in Pokémon Centers or visiting farms and other places far away from any civilization to help sick Pokémon there. Castiel loves hearing her stories, hearing about her experiences and the things she learned and he hopes she hasn’t gone off somewhere else since the last time he heard from her. Luckily Nurse Joy immediately calls for Anna and a few seconds later his sister’s face is staring back at him.

“If that isn’t little Castiel, I haven’t heard from you in ages, how are you? What are you doing?” Castiel smiles, he missed his sister, even though it’s only been a few weeks since they talked and they’ve gone without seeing each other for a lot longer. “Hey Anna. I’m…okay. I’m in Goldenrod City, thought I’d visit Gabriel but he won’t be here until tomorrow so I wanted to check how you’re doing.”

“I’m great, thanks, I’ll probably be back on the road by next week but I’m still enjoying working here, the whole island is wonderful. The only thing that’s happened is that some people reported that they’ve seen something in the waters along the beach but they didn’t find anything and it doesn’t seem to be dangerous so we’re cool.”

Before Castiel can ask his next question her expression turns more serious and he knows he won’t like what comes next. “You’re not going to tell me what’s wrong, are you?” Damn, he really should have expected that Anna would pick up on his bad mood. There is really no point in denying what she already knows.

“No, I won’t. But don’t worry about it, I’ll be fine.”

He watches Anna shake her head and sigh. “Okay then, but promise me you’ll talk to Gabriel. He’s an asshole but he cares for you. I think I have to go now, Joy’s calling me. Take care Cassie, I love you.”

“Love you too. And don’t call me that.” Anna winks at him and then the screen goes black. Castiel can’t help but smile when he hangs up. It’s still some time before he has to pick up his Pokémon from the check up so he decides to look for a place to sleep tonight. He saw a small hotel two blocks away with a sign advertising special rates for travelling trainers. As he gets up and walks towards the exit he doesn’t notice Dean standing behind a corner.

 

***

He should go to the Gym, he really should. Dean has been in the city for a few days now and seen most of the really interesting stuff and the remaining fight against Whitney is all that keeps him in the city. Well, that and the fact that he’s still moping because of Castiel. Things got even worse after he’d seen him call his girlfriend at the Pokémon Center. Sitting on a bench in the main hall of the train station Dean feels more alone than he has in a while. Not even his Cubone is there to keep him company, it hates being surrounded by many people and prefers to stay inside its ball when they aren’t on the road.

He doesn’t know how long he’s been sitting here, maybe two hours (shit, he’s so pathetic) and people are already giving him strange looks. Dean sighs and gets up, there’s really no use in prolonging his misery, he’ll spend some more time in the city today and then go back to the room he rented in one of those trainer motels. Tomorrow he’ll go to the Gym and hopefully win so he can finally get out of this city.

 

***

The city is nice, he has to admit. There’s so much stuff to see, a radio tower, a flower shop, a department store, a bike shop and a lot of other small shops and restaurants. And of course there’s Gabriel’s casino. Castiel isn’t one for gambling but it’s still an amazing building and even the interior is rather nice. Not something you would expect if you knew what Gabriel’s room used to look like back home.

There’s also a bar at the far end of the room and Gabriel usually prefers spending his time there talking to the customers instead of sitting in his office. His brother was happy to see him, urging Castiel to tell him about his journey and the things he’s seen. Eventually he even ended up talking about Dean and while Gabriel was known for being a little shit most of the time Castiel was grateful that his brother knew when to be serious about something.

That was five days ago and now Castiel is on his way to the casino, a pack of candy bars he bought for Gabriel in one arm, Togepi in the other. When he’s back and walking towards the bar hoping to find Gabriel there, he notices a man coming out of the door that leads to the offices. Castiel’s never seen him but he has a feeling the man is not someone you’d want to have around, he’s wearing an expensive looking suit and an expression that’s unreadable and just plain creepy. The two large Houndoom on either side of him don’t do anything to make him look friendlier.

Castiel is still staring at the door where the man just left when Gabriel comes up behind him. “Who was that?”

Gabriel just shakes his head. “Trust me, you don’t want to know. There are more important things, like those candy bars you have there for example.” Castiel snorts, his brother really is addicted to that stuff.

They relocate to the bar but instead of doing their usual small talk Gabriel asks “So did you talk to him yet?” Castiel buries his face in his hands, they had this conversation too many times. “No, I haven’t. I don’t even know if he’s still in the city. It’s over, so can you please just shut up about it?” “Cassie-”

“Don’t call me that.”

“-you never know until you try. And I’m not saying you’re not allowed to feel bad but just dumping this Dean guy like that without telling him what your problem is wasn’t the nicest thing you’ve ever done.”

Castiel grunts an affirmative. He really does feel bad for being so mean these last two days he’s travelled together with Dean but the thought of seeing him again and having to explain himself makes his stomach twist in knots. “I’ll think about it.”

It’s a lie and they both know it but Castiel can’t bring himself to care right now. “But you know I’m planning on leaving tomorrow so I don’t know if I’ll even get a chance to see him again.” Gabriel gives him a _look_ and turns around to take an order. Castiel sighs. Togepi is sitting on the counter in front of him and looks at him sadly. Why did he have to follow that stupid Crobat?

 

***

Today is the day. Dean is on his way to the Gym and usually he would be excited, walk in there like he owns the place, win, and then feel awesome for the rest of the day. Or week. This time though he stands in front of the Gym for 15 minutes, feeling everything but ready.

On his way here he saw Castiel with his backpack entering the department store. Which probably means he’s buying supplies and will leave the city today. Whatever. Dean needs to get over this – over him – and he really needs to concentrate on what’s waiting inside the building in front of him. Yeah, good luck with that. Still feeling like someone punched him in the chest he pushes the door open.

Needless to say, he loses. His Pokémon are strong enough to win, there’s no doubt about that but Dean is too slow. He can’t think, doesn’t give his orders at the right time and has no strategy to speak of. His Cubone is last on the field and completely refuses to do anything, just turns to Dean and looks at him accusingly. Even Whitney’s Miltank stares at him instead of the Pokémon it’s supposed to fight. Dean sinks to his knees when Whitney calls the battle off, letting Cubone retreat back into its ball.

“Listen Dean, I don’t know what’s going on with you but I strongly advise you to sort your shit out. You and your Pokémon are strong and you have a good chance at beating us, I’m not above admitting that. But something’s on your mind and it’s keeping you from focusing on what’s right in front of you. I will gladly fight you again, but next time, come here when you can think clearly.” Whitney holds out a hand and Dean takes it, getting back on his feet. “Yeah, I…I will. Thanks.”

She nods and Miltank comes to lightly headbutt him before Dean can make his retreat. He drops off all his Pokémon except Cubone at the Pokémon Center and hopes another walk through the city will finally clear his head. He won’t be able to leave before he gets the Plain Badge.

Completely lost in thought he doesn’t notice the Growlithe running up to him until he’s tackled to the floor. All he sees is an ocean of orange fur with black stripes and…a red bandana. Which can only mean… “Well, well, well, if that isn’t my best handmaiden. What are you looking for on the floor?” Dean glances up at his best friend who is now grinning down at him. “Shut up Charlie and get this thing off me. What are you even doing here?” Charlie laughs as Growlithe climbs off Dean (but not before licking his face) and she pulls him up.

“Got a call from a friend in Saffron City who needs my help. I was hanging out at the Ruins of Alph and flew over here on my Skarmory. I’ll take the train tomorrow. But since I’ve run into you now I suggest we go get drunk and share some embarrassing stories. And don’t you dare say no, this is going to happen whether you want to or not.” Charlie can be kind of intimidating when she’s like this and Dean knows better than to argue. They end up in what looks more like a casino than a bar but Charlie swears they have the best drinks here so he’s not gonna question her.

He has no idea how Charlie does it but she gets him to talk about Castiel and how he’s been moping like a five year old these past few days. Charlie is just telling him that he’s an idiot and needs to learn to talk more about his feelings when the bartender suddenly interrupts. “You’re Dean Winchester?”

Dean looks up, taken off guard. “Uh, yes?”

“So you’re the guy Castiel is so obsessed about. Well, he could’ve gone for worse look-wise, I can give him that.” Wait, what? Dean looks at Charlie who shrugs and seems even more confused than he is before turning back to the other man. “What are you talking about? What do you mean obsessed about? Who are you, anyway?”

The man grins. “Cassie is my dear little brother and since he apparently hasn’t talked to you like I told him to it’s my job to do it now.” Oh, so this must be Gabriel. Right, Cas said something about him owning a casino. Why didn’t he think of that sooner? “I couldn’t help but listen to your conversation - sorry, not sorry – and you’re an even bigger dumbass than my bro, especially when it comes to having a big ass crush on someone. If you like something go for it, otherwise you’ll never get anywhere in life.”

Dean can only stare and Charlie doesn’t seem to be doing much better, looking between the two men. “Are you actually telling me to go after Cas? You’re his brother, you have to know that he has a girlfriend! What do y-”

“Calm down big guy. Castiel doesn’t have a girlfriend.”

“But-”

“No but. The girl you’ve seen him talking to was our sister Anna and he’s been mopey the whole time he was here because he thought you were the one taken.” His mind is totally blank right now. He knows Gabriel and Charlie are both staring at him but he doesn’t know what to say. After opening and closing his mouth several times he whispers “Why did he think I was taken? I never said anything about that.”

Gabriel cocks his head to the side and pulls a candy bar out from under the counter, slowly unwrapping it. “Apparently he found a photo of you and your girlfriend. Though I’m guessing it wasn’t actually your girlfriend after all.” A photo of- Oh. Shit. “No. That definitely wasn’t my girlfriend.” “Well then what are you waiting for?” When Dean doesn’t react he clarifies. “Cas left the city about three hours ago but I’m betting he’s visiting the National Park so you’ll probably find him there.”

Gabriel grins and Charlie slaps him over the head. “You go get your man now, Winchester, or I will kick your ass harder than a Hitmonlee.” Dean doesn’t have to be told twice and almost falls over Charlie’s Growlithe in his haste to leave the casino. He was so stupid. All he can do now is hope that Gabriel is right and Cas is still somewhere in the park. It’s about half an hour away from the city and Dean figures that gives him some time to think about what he wants to say to Cas if, or rather when he finds him.

 

***

Sometimes Castiel thinks Togepi should have been born a Water-Type. It loves bathing and has been playing in the shallow waters below the small fountain for close to an hour now. Castiel hovers around nearby, ready to help if anything happens but he’s relaxed in the warm afternoon sun. He’s contemplating taking his shoes off to cool his feet in the water when Togepi starts chirping and tries to look upwards without toppling over. Castiel also looks up and freezes. Hovering in the air above them is a Crobat. And that really can’t be a coincidence, can it? Maybe it’s a bad idea, but he grabs Togepi and follows the Crobat.

Dean is sitting on a park bench and looks up when he hears them approaching. He doesn’t say anything, just inclines his head to ask Castiel to sit. Castiel does, leaving plenty of space between them. At first he thinks Dean isn’t going to say anything but then he takes a deep breath and starts talking. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

What?

“What?”

“The girl you saw on that photo. She’s not my girlfriend. Her name is Jo and her mother owns a bar in my hometown. They’re friends of the family and Jo is basically like a little sister.”

Oh. “Why are you telling me this?” Dean can’t seem to look him in the eye, instead staring straight ahead. “Gabriel said you talked to him about me. And that you found the photo. But I shouldn’t blame you for assuming things, after all I thought Anna was your girlfriend.”

“Uhm…”

“I heard you talking to her at the Pokémon Center and assumed she was your girlfriend. Apparently we were both wrong.” Castiel still has problems processing what Dean just said but if Dean means what Castiel thinks he means…could it be? “So…is there anyone else you like?” Dean huffs, but it sounds amused and that’s good. “Yeah, and if I’m really lucky he’s interested in me too.” And that’s pretty much all the proof Castiel needs. “He would be stupid not to be interested in you.”

That makes Dean grin and he scoots closer to Castiel, leaning in until their noses are almost touching. Castiel stops breathing and gives a tiny nod and then Dean’s lips are on his. It feels amazing and they probably would have kept kissing if it wasn’t for the alarmed chirping sounds coming from Togepi. The poor thing almost got squashed between them and Dean sits back with a sheepish look. “Ooops. Sorry buddy.” Castiel pats Togepi’s head and looks at Dean. “What are we going to do now?”

Dean looks thoughtful for a second before he answers. “I think we should head back to the city. Gabriel will want to hear what happened and I kinda left one of my friends hanging there. And I still need to win my badge. After that…we’ll just make it up as we go?” Castiel smiles. “Yeah, I’d like that.” He watches Dean get up and takes his offered hand, neither of them letting go once Castiel is back on his feet. As they walk back Castiel thinks about the future. He’s always loved travelling and seeing new places and now it looks like from now on his journeys will be even better than they were before.


End file.
